Drug abuse treatment provider faces 75 percent cut

Anyone who needs drug treatment to stay out of jail can rule out one option: TASC.

More than 200 adults in Madison County who have been referred to the program by the criminal justice system are in limbo until the state resolves its current budget crisis, said Tony Gonzales, administrator of the TASC Area 9 office in Edwardsville.

"This is just penny wise and pound foolish government," said Madison County Public Defender John Rekowski. "What the legislature is forgetting is that there's a reason that we instituted this program and it wasn't because of a bunch of bleeding heart liberals. We did it because it saved taxpayers money."